Sunday, November 13, 2016

Here are some recent editorials I wrote for The Gulf Today. (Posted
for my records)

Bury
acrimony,

move
forward

Months of
bitter, venomous presidential poll campaign, where mudslinging remained a norm,
has come to a stunning end, exposing
deep divisions within the world’s lone superpower.

The wide
margin of victory for Donald Trump negated the hollow predictions of polls,
pundits and a large section of media, which grossly failed to gauge the pulse
of ordinary Americans yearning for change.

The
verdict reflected the voters’ worry over economy, jobs and lifestyle.

Trump won avid support among a core base of white
non-college educated workers with his promise to be the "greatest jobs
president that God ever created."

His fiery
words during his campaign targeting a large section, including women and
immigrants, left a bitter taste, meaning the nation needs healing time.

So does
the rest of the world.

The vote outcome initially sending shockwaves
through global markets is one glaring example.

Share markets plunged and the dollar tumbled. The
Mexican peso fell to a record low. Japanese and South Korean authorities had to
even call crisis talks.

Fortunately,
though uncertainty remains over Trump's
trade, immigration and geopolitical policies and the future of globalization
itself, investors appeared somewhat comforted by his victory speech, in which
he praised rival Hillary Clinton and urged Americans to "come together as
one united people."

The Republican tycoon has not outlined any lucid plans
or a line-up of people to implement radical promises that he has made.

He has
stated he would dismantle the health insurance open to the uninsured introduced
by President Barack Obama.

His
threat to jail opponent Clinton, build a wall on the border with Mexican money
or sharp criticism of NATO are issues that
caught the world by shock and surprise.

Now that he takes over as president, it is
imperative that Trump acts in a statesmanly manner on subjects like these.

In a
globalised world, separation walls are not the answer. What is called for is
intensified, positive engagement among nations. Washington should continue to promote democratic
values and stand by its allies as a guarantor of peace.

Trump’s
sober victory message pledging to reach out to opponents and extend hands of
friendship abroad does come as a balm.

Lack of government experience may pose a challenge for the
oldest man ever elected president.

Nevertheless,
he has taken off on a positive note and should continue on that track, burying
all the acrimony and conflict-ridden rhetoric that came as part of the poll
campaign.

Need to address anxiety

over move on rupee

While the Indian government's sudden scrapping of
the high denomination notes may be seen as a bold step, the severe hardship
caused to the common people and the persisting confusion raises questions about
the way the decision has been implemented.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier announced the
demonetisation of Rs1,000 and Rs500 notes in what he termed was a crackdown on
"black money.”

Anxiety and confusion has gripped millions in the
country as well as expatriates.

Serpentine queues outside banks where people waited
for long hours to get lower denomination currency and new banknotes to pay for
their daily basic needs are apparent indication of the worry among the people.

Several banks had to seek help from thousands of
police personnel to manage huge queues.

Many were not able to buy groceries and essential
items, ATM centres were crowded and shop owners were said to be refusing the
notes.

Although a few people were able to exchange their
old money for new notes, the strict caps on account withdrawals posed
additional challenges.

Trading of farm commodities around the country was
also disrupted and in many markets farmers were struggling to sell their
produce.

Prices of perishable fruits and vegetables fell as
traders were unable to sell them to vendors, who pay in cash.

Adding a tragic twist to the episode, a farmer in
southern India committed suicide fearing she would be left penniless after the
government's shock decision.

Kandukuri Vinoda, 55, had a large amount of cash at
her home in 1,000 and 500 rupee notes and panicked that her savings had become
worthless. She had ostensibly sold some land last month and had been paid in
cash.

Some also see a political reason behind the announcement.
Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav argues that the Modi government took
the decision with an eye on the forthcoming assembly elections in Uttar
Pradesh.

Terming the decision as imposition of
"undeclared economic emergency,” Bahujan Samaj Party leader Mayawati has
also alleged that the Modi government is diverting attention of voters from
failures of his government.

Interestingly, the first demonetisation had
happened under the British rule in 1946 and the first one after the
Independence on Jan.16-17, 1978 when the Morarji Desai government demonetised
bank notes of Rs1000, 5000 and 10,000 notes.

While the overall goal to tackle black money is
appreciated, the Modi government could do well by providing enough breathing
time for honest and common people to make alternative arrangements.

Give high
priority to

low
carbon future

The
Marrakesh Conference, in which parties to the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) are discussing how to advance action to combat climate
change, offers an ideal opportunity to sustain momentum on climate action.

The
international community should not let go of the golden chance to strengthen
the global response to the threat of climate change.

Adopted
by 196 States that are party to the UNFCCC last December, the Paris Agreement,
aims to strengthen the response by keeping the global temperature rise this
century well below 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels and to pursue
efforts to limit it to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

In
October, the accord cleared the final threshold of 55 countries representing 55
per cent of global emissions required for the accord to come into effect within
one month.

The
conference comes just four days after the entry into force of the Paris
Agreement.

Before
the meeting wraps up on Nov.18, the parties should lay out a viable plan for
providing at least $100 billion a year to developing countries to support
climate action.

While the
Paris Agreement did give clear pathways in respect to decisive action, many
details regarding how to move forward as one global community in that common
direction still remain unresolved.

The
changing climate can directly impact billions of people as the risks of extreme
weather events grow.

Fourteen
of the 15 hottest years recorded have all been in the 21st century.

Global
sea-surface temperatures reached record levels in 2014, even in the absence of
a “fully developed El Niño” weather pattern.

In a study released ahead of the Morocco
conference, researchers from 13 global organisations found the average
compliance of donor governments with UN climate finance transparency requirements
had declined from 58 per cent per country report filed in 2014 to 52 per cent
in 2016.

The world's poorest countries are battling
increasingly extreme weather. But, as experts point out, the aid on offer globally to help them cope is
still a pittance.

This is a
matter of concern that needs to be addressed.

Rich countries should dig deeper
to help poor respond to the climate crisis.

The world
certainly has no choice but to shift to a low-emission, climate-resilient path.

The Marrakesh
Conference should pave the way to move on a more sustainable course and a safer
future.

It is
clearly time to delete empty words and shift to decisive action.

Sharjah’s
spellbinding

world of
words

Books
open the doors of true wisdom and the visionary leaders of Sharjah know this
best.

The
Emirate revels in opening a new chapter in the love for the written word every
year through its hugely-popular Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF).

It is
amazing to note that more than 650,000 visitors have already attended the first
four days of this year’s SIBF, which is a record in its 35-year history.

This is a
clear indication that the current edition of the fair is set to break the
record for overall number of visitors at a single edition, surpassing last
year’s SIBF which welcomed one million visitors by its close.

With
1,681 publishing houses taking active part and 1,417 activities taking place,
the venue has not only been bustling with activity, but is also generating
healthy reading habits among people, mainly the younger generation.

As Ahmed
Bin Rakkad Al Ameri, Chairman of the Sharjah Book Authority, has pointed out,
the “Year of Reading 2016” initiative and numerous other literary-themed
campaigns and activities organised by government bodies have encouraged more
and more residents and tourists to throng SIBF.

The
popularity of SIBF can also be the gauged by the fact that Sharjah was recently
named as Sao Paulo International Book Fair’s Guest of Honour for 2018, in the
presence of His Highness Dr Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Member of the
Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.

Incidentally,
Sao Paulo International Book Fair is one of largest and highly popular events
in Latin America.

The Sao
Paulo honour underlines Sharjah’s status as a cultural leader in the Arab
world.

One of
the most interesting observations at a SIBF panel session was that eBooks have
failed to replace paper books despite persisting demand from a section of the
society.

Though a
large part of the local population is under 25 years and love electronic
gadgets, experts say that one cannot expect more than 20-30 per cent of them
going for eBooks. This is indeed positive news for true knowledge-seekers.

The panel
also pointed out the lack of a proper distribution system as a major roadblock
and this needs to be addressed.

Making
quality books accessible to youngsters at affordable prices has been SIBF’s
grand source of attraction.

Sheikh
Sultan’s own words reflect the vision: “We believe that books must be available
to all and from this concept we turn book fairs into an oasis of knowledge and
enlightenment.”

Ensure
protection of

civilians
in Mosul

News that Daesh militants in Iraq have abducted
thousands of men, women and children from areas around Mosul and using them as
"human shields" is deeply distressing.

There are also reports that several innocent people
have been killed for refusing to comply with Daesh orders or previously
belonging to Iraqi security forces.

Forced
out by gunpoint, many such hapless people are being moved to strategic places
where Daesh fighters are located.

Though Iraqi forces are advancing from several
directions, they are still well outside the city itself and need to take
extreme care to protect innocent civilians.

Families
are at extreme risk of being caught in crossfire or targeted by snipers.

Tens of
thousands of Iraqi girls, boys and women may also be under siege or held as
human shields.

Iraq is
already facing one of the world’s biggest internal displacement situations.

Since
January 2014, some 3.38 million people have fled their homes – among them,
families that have been displaced multiple times.

Last week, the UN rights office reported dozens of
execution-style killings in villages near Mosul, including the shooting of a
physically disabled girl who failed to keep up on a forced march.

Shockingly, environmental pollution is also adding complexity
and danger to the humanitarian crisis sparked by the offensive in Mosul.

UN
officials have indicated that fumes from burning stockpiles of sulphur dioxide,
and oil wells that have been set ablaze, have led to further suffering for
civilians in northern Iraq.

Some
civilians have been experiencing near-suffocation and respiratory illnesses due
to what UN officials say is Daesh’s “scorched earth policy.”

Armed
groups set 19 oil wells on fire near Al Qayyarah, a town just southeast of
Mosul. As a result, citizens and armed forces were exposed to toxic fumes.

The
burning crude oil released a wide range of pollutants, including soot and gases
that caused skin irritation and shortness of breath.

A sound
counter-strategy to meet such Daesh atrocities should be in place at all times.

According
to the International Organisation for
Migration, as of Thursday, 15,804 people had been displaced since the operation
began on Oct.17.

Going by
this trend, a massive displacement cannot be
ruled out and hence it is imperative that the international community gears up
to face the potential challenge of a huge humanitarian crisis.

It is
important for all parties to the conflict to uphold their obligations under
international humanitarian law and to ensure the protection of civilians.